Visionary Dances
Visionary Dances is a ballet performance consisting of three distinct pieces, each offering an exhilarating interpretation of the contemporary dance scene in its own right. Staged at the Vienna State Opera, this trio of ballets features the choreographic mastery of Justin Peck, Wayne McGregor and Twyla Tharp with music by Bohuslav Martinů, Leonard Bernstein and Philip Glass, respectively. The Wiener Staatsoper provides a wonderful venue to witness the work of choreographers who have put their unique stamp on academic dance and taken classical ballet into new dimensions with one-off visions.
The programme opens with Heatscape, Justin Peck's dance set to music by the Czech composer, Bohuslav Martinů. It was first performed on 27 March 2015 at The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts by the Miami City Ballet. Peck's choreography is full of patterns and symmetry which create a sense of energy while still offering a sense of ease. A two-time Tony Award-winning choreographer, Peck is well-known for his dance sequences used in Steven Spielberg's 2021 remake of West Side Story.
Yugen, a co-production with London's Royal Ballet and Het Nationale Ballet Amsterdam, follows. The ballet is set to Bernstein's choral composition, Chichester Psalms, which was commissioned for the Southern Cathedrals Festival in the UK in 1965. Yugen was created by Wayne McGregor as part of the Royal Ballet's 'Bernstein at 100' programme in 2018 to celebrate the centenary of the composer's birth. The dance is set to an eclectic mix of Hebrew texts and Christian choral music mixed with notable elements of Broadway jazz. Choreographed for eleven dancers, McGregor's work fuses the lyricism in Bernstein's melodies with cleverly staged dance configurations.
Twyla Tharp's In the Upper Room is the concluding piece at the Vienna Opera House. It was first staged at the Murray Theatre in Ravinia, Illinois, on 28 August 1986. At the time, the ballet was untitled but it went on to be named In the Upper Room the following year. In 1991, Tharp won an Olivier Award for the ballet, recognising it as an Outstanding Achievement in Dance. Phillip Glass wrote music specifically for the dance which has been widely noted for its athletic, energetic and dynamic qualities. Choreographed for thirteen dancers, the ballet demands kinetic yet graceful movements that are underpinned by Glass' propelling score.
Visionary Dances is an apt name for three such driven pieces, each of which offers its own distinctive approach to contemporary ballet. When presented together at such an illustrious venue, they are sure to make a lasting impression on audiences.